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President-elect Trump's hammerlock on the Republican Party was shaken on Thursday night when 38 of his party's lawmakers in the House voted to defy his command to support a
spending and debt deal
. Writing on social media, Trump had told Republicans to "vote 'YES' for this Bill, TONIGHT!" He said it was vital to pass a bill that extended spending until early next year and suspended the nation's debt limit until 2027, well into his next term. For the better part of a decade, that kind of dictate has usually been enough for Trump, who has methodically seized control of the Republican Party at all levels. But with just a month left before he returns to office, Trump found out that at least some of his followers were willing to buck his leadership in the right circumstances. The rebel Republicans, combined with most House Democrats, sank that legislation.
The defiance came not from the handful of moderate Republicans who have previously earned the prez-elect's ire. This time, it was conservatives who would normally align themselves with Trump's philosophy who voted against his wishes. Several did so because they opposed the idea of raising debt limit for more than two years, something they argue would allow out-of-control govt spending to continue unabated. Trump had argued that raising the limit would clear the decks for his ambitious legislative agenda, removing a potential fight over the issue early in his term.
For Trump, the actions of his party Thursday raise questions: Have the signs suggesting his grip over the GOP is tighter than ever been wrong? Has he lost some control he once had? Or was the vote merely a brief hiccup in the absolute loyalty forecast for when he moves back into the White House next month? The answer may not be known until Trump puts a razor-thin Republican majority to the test next year. It will take a handful of Republicans to doom any one of his agenda items in House or Senate. But such defiance would come at the risk of their political careers. Still, the rebel Republicans voted against his wishes Thursday despite an explicit electoral threat.
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